Washington, November 3
Remembering the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India, a US lawmaker has called for justice and accountability for the families affected by the genocide.
“Madam Speaker, I stand up to recognize the November 1984, anti-Sikh riots in India, also known as the Sikh massacre,” Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania told the US House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Anti-Sikh riots broke out after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
Boyle said there are more than half a million Sikhs in the United States today, who started coming here 130 years ago.
“The massacre against Sikhs began in Delhi and several other Indian cities on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi,” he said.
“The first Sikh life was taken that morning. Thousands were killed in the Sikh community as a result of violence that lasted three days. After the massacre, it was reported that around 20,000 were forced to flee, leaving countless People were killed. People displaced,” Boyle said.
“Madam Speaker, remembering the Sikh genocide is an important and historic step in the fight for justice and accountability for the families of all those victims,” the Congressman said. PTI